The Story of the 1997 WSOP Main Event
The 28th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, as it always does, but it was like no other WSOP before or since. The winner went down in history as the most tragic player ever to take home the world title as eulogies and false promises rang in the air outside Binion’s Horseshoe for the first – and last – occasion that the WSOP ever held the final table on Fremont Street itself. If you thought you’d seen it all at the World Series of Poker before 1997, you weren’t even close.
A World of Winners
With 21 events in the 1997 World Series of Poker, winners came from all over the world as several overseas players put their pins on the map. South Korean player Kevin Song won his first-ever bracelet – and the first won by a player from South Korea – when he took home $397,120 after an incredible 544 entrants broke new ground in Las Vegas for Event #1: $2,000 Limit Hold’em.
French player Claude Cohen (Event #3: $1,500 Limit Omaha), Costa Rican Maria Stern, who was one of two women to win a bracelet in an open event this year (Event #4: $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud), and Swedish player Chris Bjorin (Event #5: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha) all won gold before Dave ‘Devil Fish’ Ulliott scored one for the British poker contingent.
Players from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Irish Republic had traveled to Las Vegas en masse, increasing their numbers every year. Ulliott, who sadly passed away in April 2015, conquered Event #9: $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event for $180,310, beating his fellow Englishman Chris Truby heads-up after seeing off the challenges of players such as 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy and young up-and-comer Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson. Ulliott became a British poker hero and, over the course of several years, carved out a niche for himself as an unruly entertainer in the game.
Further wins for overseas players such as Grecian Vasili Lazarou (Event #10: $2,500 Limit Seven Card Stud), German player Matthias Rohnacher (Event #11: $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy), Australian Mel Judah (Event #18: $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud), and Costa Rica’s Max Stern (husband of Maria Stern who won her own bracelet as mentioned above), who won both Event #12: $2,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo and Event #17: $3,000 NLHE highlighted the international presence and growth of the World Series of Poker. Max and Maria Stern became the first married couple to both win bracelets and the only couple to win in the same year.
Two heavyweights of the World Series also won events as Phil Hellmuth (Event #15: $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em), and Johnny Chan (Event #16: $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball) took home gold as the run-up to the Main Event continued to build excitement.
Other WSOP bracelet winners as the 28th series continued were Linda Johnson (Event #2: $1,500 Limit Razz), Doug Saab (Event #6: $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo), ‘Miami’ John Cernuto (Event #7: $2,000 No Limit Hold’em), Scotty Nguyen, whose true claim to fame would come next year (Event #8: $2,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo), Louis Asmo (Event #13: $3,000 Limit Hold’em), Dean Stonier (Event #14: $3,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo), Robert Veltri (Event #19: $5,000 Limit Hold’em), and Susie Isaacs who successfully defended her title by winning Event #20: $1,000 Ladies Limit Seven Card Stud.
Poker Goes Out
The finale of the 1997 World Series of Poker was unique, taking place outdoors at the Fremont Street Experience outside of Binions. The 28th Annual WSOP Main Event saw 312 players pay $10,000 and pursue the $1 million top prize in 1997. As it had been for the past few years, just 27 players were going to finish in the money. Among the winners earning a minimum of $21,200 were George McKeever, Rupert Housden and Matti Kuortti, who came from Ireland, England, and Finland respectively.
Some very big names made it into the money but missed out on the final stages, with Billy Baxter (22nd) and Phil Hellmuth (21st) earning $21,200 each. Doyle Brunson finished 16th for the highest finish in the main event in the latter part of his career, while emerging Irish light Andy Black, later nicknamed ‘The Monk’, came 14th for $29,680.
Marsha Waggoner came 12th for $33,920, while Chris Bjorin, who had already won a bracelet during this series, came 9th for $48,760. After the elimination of Norwegian player Tormod Roren in seventh for $95,400, the final six assembled, with five Americans and one Australian – the aforementioned Mel Judah, taking on the challenge for the title of world champion. Ron Stanley, Bob Walker, John Strzemp and Peter Bao were joined by the favorite and chip leader, the 1980 and 1981 world champion – Stu Ungar.
The Kid Does it for The Kid
As the final six players began to whittle the field down to a winner, the crowds gathered outside in the Las Vegas heat to cheer on the winner for the first time in history. Peter Bao, who was sat to Ungar’s immediate left, soon departed and The Kid had some elbow room. Bao shoved with jack-queen and lost out to ace-queen, earning $127,200.
Bob Walker was the next player to go, shoving pre-flop with queen-ten only to be called by Mel Judah’s pocket deuces. A jack and a nine on the flop held hope for Walker, but the board ran out clean, and he crashed out in 5th for $161,120.
Out in fourth was Ron Stanley, who cashed for $212,000 while dressed in one of the most compelling outfits in Main Event final history. A full tuxedo with a black and white striped tie was topped by a pair of Aviator shades and a white Ralph Lauren baseball cap. Sadly for Stanley, he shoved with jack-eight offsuit and was quickly called by John Strzemp’s pocket aces which prevailed.
“What a time to bluff,” the commentary team of Gabe Kaplan and Jim Albrecht declared.
Australian player Mel Judah bowed out in third place for $371,000. His all-in move with ten-nine on a flop of J-T-3 was called by Stu Ungar, holding queen-jack. A deuce on the turn and king on the river ended the board and the Aussie’s time at the WSOP. Judah’s run to the podium places of the Main Event and a prior bracelet in the series was a great return for the Aussie, who took home $554,854 from Las Vegas that year.
It was down to heads-up play, and that meant the money was dumped onto the table… out of a box previously used to store toilet rolls! Ungar had the chip lead, and with a 3-to-1 lead over Strzemp, the final hand almost played itself. On a flop of A-5-3 all the chips went in. While Ungar had paired his ace with ace-four, Strzemp had him out-kicked with ace-eight. Only a deuce or a four could help Stuey, and although the turn was an innocuous three, a deuce on the river gave Ungar The Wheel and his third world title, equalling the record of Johnny Moss. Stu Ungar became the only player to win three world championships at the felt, a record that still stands.
The Broken Promise
Stu Ungar had done it, joining The Grand Old Man of Poker, Johnny Moss, at the top of the list of multiple Main Event world champions. After Strzemp left with $583,000, Ungar was awarded the million-dollar top prize. Gabe Kaplan asked Stuey whether he had done it for his 14-year-old daughter Stephanie.
“She told me ‘Daddy I’m gonna disown you if you don’t win the tournament. I guaranteed the victory and I proved myself worthy of it.”
“In 1980 and 1981 you won the world championship, but you weren’t smart after that,” said Gabe Kaplan. “Your life didn’t go 100% in the right course. You’re older and wiser, now, you think you’re going to do things differently?”
“I hope so, Gabe, I’m going to look after my kid. I’ve done a lot of stupid things, but no one ever beat me playing cards. The only one who ever beat me was myself and my bad habits.
“Stu ‘The Kid’ Ungar is back, and look out next year, congratulations.”
As Kaplan uttered those words, ‘The Kid’ held up the picture of his kid one last time, and the world hoped for a different win for the troubled Stu Ungar.
Sadly, as the luster faded on that most dramatic and emotional of final table interviews. Stu Ungar tried to live up to his promise to his daughter and himself but quickly fell back into his old habits. Cruelly, a year later, The Kid was beaten by his demons, and the game was robbed of one of its brightest talents. A year on from winning a million dollars in the early summer of 1997, Stu Ungar was found dead in a $24-per-night motel room in Las Vegas, having lost all of the money.
The coroner ruled that his heart had given out after years of drug abuse. Doyle Brunson summed up the feelings of everyone in poker when asked about The Kid’s tragic demise.
“Everybody felt terrible, but it wasn’t a surprise.”
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stu Ungar | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 2nd | John Strzemp | United States | $583,000 |
| 3rd | Mel Judah | Australia | $371,000 |
| 4th | Ron Stanley | United States | $212,000 |
| 5th | Bob Walker | United States | $161,120 |
| 6th | Peter Bao | United States | $127,200 |
1996 WSOP Main Event 1998 WSOP Main Event
About the Author: Paul Seaton has written about poker for over 10 years, interviewing some of the best players ever to play the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth. Over the years, Paul has reported live from tournaments such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the European Poker Tour. He has also written for other poker brands where he was Head of Media, as well as BLUFF magazine, where he was Editor.